Mission Failure
by ShinigamiDeathscytheSan
Summary: Duo screws up on a mission and Heero takes it upon himself to rescue him. He just doesn't know if he'll be able to get Duo, and himself, out of there alive. YAOI 01x02!
1. Mission Failed

**well, here's the first part of this fic! XD and this one's already finished, so you dont have to worry about me never finishing it XD well yeah.... i dont have much to say. so there.**

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Mission Failure

Duo Maxwell bolted around the corner, back slamming into the wall. He took a deep, silent breath.

Did they see him?

No, of course not. He was too good to get caught.

He placed a hand on his chest, willing his racing heart to slow to a reasonable pace. In his other hand, he tightly grasped his Galil, index finger resting apprehensively on the trigger.

As his Galil was his best gun, he had carved the word 'Shinigami' into the side of its black surface. And somewhere on the other side, '01x02' was etched as well.

After a moment, Duo peeked around the corner, violet eyes scanning the shadows. The hallway was empty; those OZ soldiers were gone now…

It was then that he felt the muzzle of a standard-issue OZ rifle press up against his back. His body instantly tensed, a million escape ideas flashing across his vision.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands on the wall," ordered the soldier gruffly.

Body still stiff, Duo let the Galil fall from his hands; he had a plan.

A split second later, he spun on his heel, knocking the rifle from the guard's grasp. He then cupped his hand and hit the soldier over the ear, rupturing the man's eardrum.

With a pained cry, the guard sank to his knees, a hand over his ear.

In one fluid motion, the Deathscythe pilot then retrieved his Galil and used the end of the gun to land a solid blow to the top of the soldier's skull. The man was dead instantly.

Duo took a moment to pick up the dead guard's rifle, slinging the strap over his shoulder. It would come in handy if his Galil ran out of ammo later on.

He then took off down the hallway he had been hiding in. Duo knew for sure that that soldier's cry had alerted the other guards, so he had to get somewhere safe.

And sure enough, shouts and yells reached his ears as he rounded a corner into another hallway. This time, though, he quickly checked to make sure that no one would be sneaking up on him from behind.

Duo peeked around the corner, shooting at the soldiers; several of them went down. But more kept appearing every moment…

The Deathscythe pilot quickly pulled back as a barrage of bullets hit his hiding place, creating several holes in the wall and floor.

Not waiting for the soldiers to even finish their current attack, Duo bolted down the shady corridor, three-foot braid billowing in the air behind him. He rounded several more corners, not bothering to stay even remotely hidden.

'_If only I could get to one of their mobile suit hangars…!'_ he thought as he took down yet another group of OZ soldiers. _'That would be one hell of an epic escape!'_

Casting a quick glance behind him, Duo continued to run down the hallway.

After a few moments, the headset at his ear came to life, **"Duo! What the hell did you do?! This is a **_**stealth**_** operation!!!"** Heero's angry whisper crackled through the tiny speaker; this was the first time he had spoken the entire mission.

A huge grin spread across the Deathscythe pilot's features as he shot down four more soldiers, "Not anymore! And it's great to finally hear from you! If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd say you went and got yourself killed!"

There were several moments of silence before Heero replied. It was obvious that he was trying to keep himself hidden.

"**This mission is on the verge of failure…"** his voice stopped again, no doubt to avoid getting caught, **"We need to get out of here A-S-A-P."**

"Roger that, love," grinned Duo as one of his bullets nailed an OZ soldier directly between the eyes.

The Deathscythe pilot made his way down several more halls, reloading his Galil as he went. It wasn't long until he found himself faced with three more guards.

"God, they never end!" he hissed as he took them out before they could even raise their guns. Despite the danger, he smirked at the carnage that he, Shinigami, had created. Damn, this was fun.

However, his smirk became a grimace of pain as he felt two bullets from behind wound his body. One created a deep gash in his side, while the other grazed the top of his shoulder, mere inches away from severing the carotid artery at his throat.

Of course, the _one_ time he had managed to convince Heero that wearing a bulletproof vest was simply a nuisance, he got hit. Of course. Duo really hated his life right now…

Whirling around, he shot down the two soldiers that had managed to sneak up behind him.

He winced, putting a hand to the wound at his shoulder; he could already tell that it was going to leave a nasty scar once it healed… given he made it out alive.

No. Duo was going to meet up with Heero and get out of this place. Two little cuts were not the end of the world; he was a freaking Gundam pilot, Dammit!

That's what Duo said to himself as he continued to run down the halls. He figured that trying to stay hidden was a pretty good idea around now, not only because he couldn't afford to get shot again, but he was starting to run low on bullets…

The Deathscythe pilot pressed himself up against a wall in the shadows, willing himself to be invisible as a group of five soldiers ran down the adjoining hallway, passing him.

Duo then bolted down the corridor in the direction that those men had just come from. The speaker in his ear crackled to life again.

"**Duo, where are you?! Find an exit and get the hell out of there already!"**

What? Heero already got out? "Gimme a minute, will ya! I've got no clue how to get—AUGH!"

Duo was overcome by a barrage of bullets as he rounded another corner. He just barely made it back into the corridor he had come from without getting hit more than a few times.

Despite his best efforts, he sank to one knee, clutching the bullet wound in his shin; by the feel of it though, the bones weren't harmed. There was another shot in his stomach, while another had shattered one side of his collarbone, rendering his right arm useless.

Taking his bloodied hand from his leg with a grimace, Duo picked up his Galil and peeked around the corner.

The five soldiers were just starting to run towards his position. The Deathscythe pilot shot them down as fast as he could manage, as he was not used to firing a gun with his left hand.

"**Duo! Are you alright?! What's your status?!" **Heero's voice erupted in Duo's ear; there was a hint of worry entwined with his ever-present monotone.

The Deathscythe pilot didn't want to tell his lover that he was hurt; he couldn't have him worry about him… "I'm fine," he said, doing his best to keep the pain from his voice.

There was a moment's pause, **"Alright. Well hurry up and get out of there!" **

Duo didn't reply. Instead, he shakily pushed himself up and hurried down the hallway. It was much harder to run with that bullet in his leg…

Even more so than before, he tried to stay hidden.

He leaned against the wall of yet another corner, tightly grasping his Galil in his left hand. Wincing against the pain, he peeked into the adjoining corridor; it was empty.

Duo could tell, even though he was leaving a completely different way than he had come in, he was getting close to the outer edge of the building. Though there weren't many windows, the air was a bit clearer than it was deeper in the facility; he'd find a door out soon.

The gunshot wound in his stomach protested loudly as he ran down the hallway; it almost hurt as bad as the hole in his leg…

Duo made his way down the last corridor. He had seen one of those 'Exit' signs that that they had in case of an emergency or something of the like… it wouldn't be long before he was reunited with Heero.

"You there! Halt!"

'_No…! Not again!'_ The Deathscythe pilot spun around, raising his gun. At least a dozen soldiers were crowding around the hallway behind him, and he heard several more blocking the other end of the corridor as well.

Duo knew he was in trouble; he had to call for help. But his right arm was hanging limply at his side, meaning that he couldn't reach up and turn on his headset to call Heero… unless he dropped his gun.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands up above your head," ordered a soldier from behind Duo.

The Deathscythe pilot glared at the guards before him, violet eyes deadly serious despite the pain. Once again, escape plans flashed through his head. But this time, they all ended in certain death… or worse.

Duo glanced behind him, gauging how outnumbered he was. About two dozen to one. If he set off one of the grenades at his belt, it would surely eliminate them all.

But he would die too.

He could never do that to Heero… he'd never be able to forgive himself for the anguish his demise would surely cause.

"I repeat: drop your weapon and put your hands up!" demanded one of the soldiers.

There was nothing he could do… If he tried to run, he would be shot. If he tried to use a grenade, he would die in the explosion. If he tried to…

Duo sighed, throwing his Galil to the floor. As he lifted his hands above his head, he inconspicuously switched on his mic, so that it would remain on without him constantly holding it.

"Put your hands on your head and do not move," ordered the same guard.

Amethyst eyes downcast, Duo complied.

As the soldiers swarmed around him, locking his hands behind his back, the Deathscythe pilot whispered four words into the mic…

"Heero, I blew it."

There was no reply, but Duo didn't really expect one. He knew Heero wouldn't speak at a time like this. Nonetheless, it still made him feel so alone… so… hopeless…

The Deathscythe pilot remained silent as a soldier shoved him to his knees. Even as his wounds screamed, Duo welcomed the blackness that came as the end of a gun was brought down heavily on the back of his head.

He never wanted to open his eyes again. Never. Not unless it meant waking up in the safety of Heero's strong arms…

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**well, there you go. kinda a cliffhanger. hehe :3**

**i'll prolly post ch 2 tomorrow sometime, so look foward to it!**


	2. Rescue Attempt

**chapter two! so now, as you can see, its gonna be followin' heero now... :D**

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Heero crouched in the shadows, gun at the ready. He was just outside one of many side exits to the OZ facility, waiting for his partner to escape.

Duo had said that he was fine over the comm. link, but something told the Wing pilot that his lover had been lying.

Heero kept quiet, however, waiting for Duo to speak. If the Deathscythe pilot was in a bad situation, he couldn't break the other's concentration.

The silence was maddening. The need to know if Duo was okay or not was killing him… metaphorically of course.

Heero's resolve was beginning to crack. It was hard to keep himself from reaching up to the mic to ask what was keeping his lover. He was just about to speak when Duo's pained, almost inaudible whisper crackled through the headset.

"Heero, I blew it…"

His voice sounded so broken, so… despondent.

Heero nearly jumped as he heard his lover speak.

A moment later, Duo's pained grunt came through the headset, and he knew that the Deathscythe pilot had been knocked unconscious by whoever had captured him. In the next second, the speaker became full of static as the headset was crushed on the ground. Heero plucked the devise from his ear and turned it off, knowing it was useless now.

The Wing pilot was upright immediately. Despite his soldier instincts' desperate need to complete the mission, no matter the cost, he had decided long ago that Duo meant more to his being than the success of one mission.

It was a little tricky to get back into the building, but Heero managed to not get caught.

The Wing pilot should've known this mission was a little too much for just the two of them. The facility was simply too huge.

The first stage of the mission was to sneak in and disable the building's security systems. After that, the two had to set up bombs around the base. All of that went smoothly; it was just getting the hell out of there that had screwed Duo up.

Heero ran down the halls of the OZ facility. He had no clue where in the building Duo had been captured, but he knew what to look for to find the prison cells… given they didn't murder the Deathscythe pilot before he got thrown in there.

Heero grimaced, listening to a small group of soldiers whispering around the corner where he was hidden.

"…what he deserved. Damn rebel."

"Exactly. We ought 'a kill that rebel punk now. He doesn't look like the type to squawk 'bout their plans."

"Well even the stubbornest whore will give in under enough _'pressure'_."

All three men stifled cruel laughs, clearly displaying their malicious intents.

Heero couldn't take it. He bolted around the corner, nearly barreling into the guard closest to him. The Wing pilot reached up, jamming his fingers into the pressure points at the back of the soldier's jaw. The man instantly collapsed, letting out a pained moan.

Heero then jabbed his elbow into the chest of the next guard, knocking the wind from his lungs. The man went to the floor after a strong kick to the groin.

The last soldier fell as Heero knocked his legs out from under him. Finally drawing his gun, the Wing pilot lifted the guard up by his collar and pressed the end of the gun to the man's chin.

"You have ten seconds to tell me where that rebel you captured has been taken," ordered Heero, voice as cold as ice. He then lied to the soldier, feeling nothing except hatred as he did so, "I'll let you live if you comply."

Afraid for his life, the guard stuttered to speak, "H-he was taken to the prison cells… but there'll be nothing left of him once you get there—not like you ever will…!" as the soldier continued to talk, he got braver, but a small amount of added pressure from Heero's gun squashed that courage.

Satisfied with the man's answer, the Wing pilot took his gun from the man's chin. However, just as the guard relaxed, thinking he was going to make it out of this alive, Heero shoved his gun into the soldier's mouth and pulled the trigger. The man's mouth effectively silenced the bullet as blood splattered.

Heero took off down the hallway, leaving the dead and incapacitated soldiers in a crumpled heap.

The Wing pilot knew where to find the prison cells, he just wondered if that soldier had been correct. Would Duo be dead once he got there? Would Heero even make it there without getting caught or killed…?

**No.**

Heero mentally stopped on that thought, cutting it off completely with his iron-strong resolve.

Duo was alive and Heero would rescue him. End of story. Mission accepted…

**Mission accepted.**

The Wing pilot slipped into the shadows, waiting for a group of soldiers to pass by. Normalcy was beginning to replace the panic.

Heero rushed down the corridor, determined to get the prison cells as fast as he could manage. This was a mission after all. At least, that's what he told himself.

It took longer than he had anticipated to reach the area where the prison cells were at. Just as he was a few corners away, Heero came to a dead stop, cobalt eyes wide.

Pained, anguish-filled cries were echoing through the halls. It was Duo, without a doubt.

The Wing pilot forced away the visions of the torture he knew his lover was going through. He tried to block the cries from his ears, but it was impossible.

Heero continued down the corridors, following Duo's tormented voice.

As the cries became closer, the Wing pilot felt himself losing focus. His wall of resolve was cracking under the constant blows from Duo's agony-filled cries.

He didn't think or plan clearly before he burst into the prison block. He wasn't prepared as the guards that were crowded at the door to Duo's cell, laughing and watching him be tortured, noticed him. He couldn't react in time as they shot their guns at him, many of their bullets wounding his body.

Heero inevitably sank to his knees, but only for a moment before he rose and retaliated. Ignoring the bullet in one of his legs, the Wing pilot rushed forward and jabbed his gun into the stomach of the first soldier, pulling the trigger the moment metal made contact with flesh.

Heero paid no mind to the bullets in his own stomach and took down the next two men.

Another bunch of soldiers ran out from the cell; one of them had blood on his hands… Duo's blood. He was going down the most painfully, decided the irrational part of Heero.

Not even paying close attention to his actions, the Wing pilot shot down a few of the other soldiers. Crimson blood was splattering everywhere; a classic murder scene in the making.

His own bloodied hand drew the combat knife from the sheath at his hip, its shining blade glinting red in the reflection of blood. Heero raced towards the last guard, slashing out at him with the knife.

Cobalt eyes were nearly consumed by rage as he cut and cut again at the soldier, backing the man up against the wall.

Heero couldn't stand the thought of what these men had done to his precious Duo. He had to make these men suffer, namely the one who had obviously hurt him. The part of his mind that was still able to think during all this dreaded what he was going to see when he walked into Duo's cell… the beaten, bloody, lifeless form that he knew the cruelty of these soldiers had created.

It terrified him. The human heart within the 'Perfect Soldier' that loved Duo with every fiber of its being was terrified beyond belief of what it would find in that cell.

Heero continued to slash at the guard, tearing so much flesh with every strike. It was finally when a particularly large drop of hot blood splattered onto his cheek, that the Wing pilot finally snapped out of his murderous stupor.

Before the dying soldier could collapse to the floor, Heero lodged his knife into the man's heart and pulled it out. He sheathed the deadly weapon.

Not bothering to wipe the blood from his face or register any of the pain of his many injuries, Heero made his way to Duo's cell.

He stopped just before coming to the doorway, pausing to pull up his emotionless façade. He had to steel himself before going in there, before facing what his cruel mind had visioned would be left of Duo once he got there.

Heero walked into the prison cell, forcing himself to ignore the sight of what he had dreaded.

Duo was part lying by, part sitting against the far wall of the cell, a hollow look in his once vibrant eyes.

'_There's not much time…'_ Heero thought as he knelt by his fading lover. He continued to hold up that stoic wall in his mind; he couldn't have a breakdown now…

He let his hard, emotionless eyes scan Duo's body for visible injuries. His frown deepened as he saw that his lover's pants had been roughly unbuttoned; he didn't want to think about what came after that…

Blood was everywhere. Matted in Duo's beautiful braid, hidden in his black stealth outfit, stained on his pale skin. This sight scared Heero.

He gently picked up the limp pilot into his arms, shaking him carefully, "Duo…"

His violet eyes seemed to glow as they slid open a bit more, trying to focus his vision enough to see; he couldn't even make out his lover before him. The light that had been shining in those beautiful orbs only hours ago was nearly extinguished now.

Taking the small amount of time that Duo was still conscious as an opportunity, Heero gently pressed his hand on the other's body, trying to figure out where he was wounded.

The Deathscythe pilot tensed, head falling over the other's arm, as Heero placed his hand on the bullet wounds in his stomach. Even the gentle touch burned like white-hot fire.

Heero frowned and removed his hand. He could just barely make out the torn fabric at both of Duo's shoulders.

He didn't need to see more. His own wounds protesting, the Wing pilot shakily rose to his feet.

Heero ignored his worry for Duo and he pushed away the lightheaded haze that was creeping upon him. He had to stay focused.

He ran through the halls, away from the prison cells. He didn't come across any guards; they all must've been watching Duo's torture. Heero scowled.

As soon as the Wing pilot made it to the next floor, however, he had to hide from the OZ soldiers again.

Duo was still limp in his arms, barely conscious. His eyes stared up at nothing, and his body was motionless. His breath came in shallow, uneven rasps.

Heero felt himself starting to fade, if only slightly. The pain and blood loss were just beginning to take their toll on his body. He couldn't ignore all of that forever.

Duo's usually light body was starting to grow heavy in Heero's strong arms. He had to get out of here soon…

With an inaudible grunt, Heero shifted Duo so that he was slung over his left shoulder in a fireman's carry. Taking his gun from the strap on his other shoulder, the Wing pilot was ready to fight off anyone who stood in his way.

Peeking around the corner, Heero bolted into the next hallway. By now, the place where he had come in was getting close.

Heero blinked away the haze that was creeping in at the corners of his vision and hurried around another corner. The bullet in his leg screamed with every heavy step he took, but he didn't have the time to walk with a limp.

Growling silently, the Wing pilot hid as several soldiers marched past. They apparently hadn't noticed Duo's disappearance yet… but they would soon; as soon as guard shifts changed, that is.

Heero was forced to his knees a moment later. Not by a soldier, however, but by his own weakening body. He nearly dropped his gun, reaching up to cover his mouth as he silently coughed up blood. His cobalt eyes were wide as pain exploded in his stomach; there were at least two bullets lodged there.

Shakily, slowly, Heero rose and continued on his way, Duo still limp at his shoulder. The exit was only moments away…

Heero limped through the darkness, having finally made it out of the building, but not off the facility grounds. He could hardly ignore the pain anymore… his wounds were simply too severe.

He had been forced to cradle Duo in his arms once again, as he was growing weaker by the minute. The Wing pilot needed to find a safe place for them to hide before he collapsed.

Heero's cobalt eyes scanned the darkness for any place to take refuge.

Finally, the Wing pilot found a small, out of sight, gap between two buildings, somewhat near the outer edge of the facility. He limped into the narrow alley; going in as far as he could before sinking to his knees.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Heero placed Duo on the ground in front of him. Picking up his gun, the Wing pilot intended to protect Duo until he could gather enough strength to get the hell out of there.

The soldier in Heero, the part of him that was ingrained so deep, so hard to deny; told him to simply press the detonation button now and end the mission. That part of his being didn't care if he, or Duo, lived or died; all that mattered was the current mission and its success.

Heero put a hand over the bullet wounds in his stomach, willing away the pain. It didn't work; not like he had really expected it to in the first place, though.

With a grimace, the Wing pilot steadied himself against the wall as more blood came to his lips, making him nauseous. Darkness clouded his vision shortly after and, despite his best efforts, the lightheaded haze took over his weary mind.

He couldn't… hold on… any… longer…

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**Cliffhanger! yay! **

**ha. so heero rescued duo, but was it all in vain? are they both gonna get found now? *snickers evilly* one answer says 'oh, you know me too well, i cant resist a bad ending' and the other says 'there's no way i could do that to them'. heheheheheee XD **

**well, c'ya! *slinks away* until tomorrow.... **


	3. Getting Out Alive

**ch 3! heh, so now you get to see if i got them caught or not :D *snickers* fufufu....**

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Heero awoke to someone roughly shoving their boot into his chest.

"You think they're dead?" asked a gruff voice from above. It sounded so distant to Heero's hazy mind.

Hard-earned instincts doing their job, the Wing pilot didn't so much as flinch as pain flashed through his torso. He waited until the guard removed his boot from his chest before striking.

Tightening his grip on the gun that was still wrapped in his arms, Heero bolted upright and put three bullets in the soldier before him.

The guard fell, revealing four more. They stared at the Wing pilot in shock for a moment before raising their own weapons.

But Heero was faster. He had felled two of the four men before they could even shoot at him.

With his already wounded body and the very narrow alleyway, it was nearly impossible to dodge. But somehow, the Wing pilot managed.

The bullets left holes in the ground as Heero shot forward, ramming into the legs of both guards. He knocked them to the ground.

Gunshot wounds screaming at him, the Wing pilot put a bullet in each of the two soldiers, killing them instantly. He could only hope that the earsplitting sound of gunfire hadn't been heard.

Now that the sun was beginning to rise—Heero could see the grayish light at the top of the buildings making up the alley—he was sure search parties were prowling around everywhere.

Heero turned, steadying himself against the wall as a wave of pained nausea washed over him. When it passed a moment later, he took a few deep breaths and crawled over to Duo.

Going by appearances alone, the Deathscythe pilot looked dead. His skin was a ghostly white compared to the black of his stealth uniform, and his body was terribly still.

Shakily, gently, terrified that his lover was as he appeared and hadn't made it through the night, Heero put his hand to Duo's wrist, feeling for a pulse.

A moment later, he heaved a silent sigh of relief; Duo was still alive. His pulse was very weak, but it was still there, nonetheless.

Heero couldn't hold back the soft, loving smile as he gently brushed the hair from Duo's forehead. The Deathscythe pilot's glassy, violet eyes were closed now, and his pained expression lessened slightly at the other's careful touch.

With a quiet grunt, Heero lifted Duo up and slung him over his shoulder again. The Wing pilot staggered to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. He felt slightly dizzy and nauseas again…

Clutching his gun in his right hand, Heero limped to the mouth of the alleyway. The early morning light was blinding now, and it would make it so that the two could easily be spotted in their escape. However, they had to get out of there as soon as possible… Duo surely only had a few hours left, and Heero definitely wasn't going to last for much longer after that. This was a dangerous situation, to say the very least.

Upon seeing that the coast was clear at the moment, Heero slipped out of the alleyway. The fence that marked the edge of the OZ facility wasn't very far off.

The Wing pilot bolted to the end of the building, blending in with the small bit of shadow.

Once at the corner, he peeked around it; there were tons of soldiers. The area before him was one of the many mobile suit hangars, and by the looks of all the commotion, they were getting a new shipment of said giant weapons today… and it was at least twenty yards to the fence leading to the dense forest, leading to freedom. But it would be impossible to not get caught.

Unless…

Heero put a hand to his belt, feeling for something as he still clutched his gun. He mentally nodded. He still had three grenades that he could use.

The Wing pilot didn't waste another moment. Slinging his gun over his shoulder, he pulled one grenade from his belt. Heero yanked out its pin with his teeth and threw it towards the hangar with all the strength he had. He repeated this with the other two bombs, throwing them in slightly different directions to widen the range of the explosion.

The Wing pilot bolted from the shadows. The pain was gone now, having been replaced by a cold numbness, and Duo was still limp at his shoulder.

The three grenades created a perfect cover, causing a distraction that gave him more than enough time to get to the fence unnoticed.

Having already taken out his wire cutters, Heero snipped a hole in the chain-link just big enough for him and Duo to squeeze through. It took him hardly any time at all to cut through the sturdy fence because of his immense strength, even if it was greatly diminished.

Heero ran into the forest, finally coming to a stop once he knew it was safe.

Gently setting Duo on the ground, the Wing pilot took the detonator from his belt. He smiled softly and took Duo's icy hand in his, wrapping the other's fingers around the detonator. He pressed Duo's thumb to the button, letting him blow up the base… just like he had wanted to.

The shockwave from the explosion shook the earth with immense force, knocking Heero from where he knelt to the ground beside Duo. He instantly felt his world began to fade yet again.

"No… not yet…" Heero growled, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. He couldn't let himself slip now, not with Duo so close to death.

Grimacing as the pain returned like a knife to the chest, Heero dug his hand into his pocket, searching for his phone. He pulled out the silvery device and flipped it open.

The phone was already switched to a secure signal, so all the Wing pilot had to do was speed-dial… his numb finger managed to hit '4' and 'Send.'

Collapsing to the ground as he held the phone to his ear, he waited impatiently for Quatre to pick up. He had instructed the Sandrock pilot that, incase the mission got messed up and they couldn't get back on their own, he and Trowa were to come and pick them up from wherever they were hiding.

"_Hello?"_

Heero forced the words past his dry lips, "Mission complete… hurry… please…" the last word came out as more of a desperate whisper, alerting Quatre to the urgency of the situation.

A moment later, with a strangled moan, Heero's world went black.

His grip loosened and the phone fell from his ear, slipping from his limp hand to the ground.

"_Hello…? Hey, are you there…? Can you hear me?"_ after a moment, Quatre realized what had happened and what needed to be done. He hung up, taking the phone to his computer so he could trace the location of the call. 'Mission complete,' it was time to bring the two pilots home.

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**yay. so heero and duo got out of the OZ facility... but will they both still be alive by the time quatre and trowa get to them??? i sure hope so *already knows* XD**

**this chapter was really short, so im gonna post the epilogue for you guys now too.... :D**


	4. Epilogue

**Tada! hehe. so here ya go. and yes, this is the end. i'm getting close to finishing a really angsty fic tho, so that one should be up this weekend. heehee that one's way better than this one too :D**

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-- Epilogue --

"Heero… Heero wake up…"

Dazed cobalt eyes opened, blinking away the blurriness left from yet another torturous nightmare. Someone was shaking his shoulder, bringing him back into the waking world.

"Duo…" Heero heard himself whisper, trying to see through the haze.

It took several moments for his vision to clear, but once it did, he saw that it was Trowa leaning over him. That meant that the two pilots had been rescued… but Duo…

"How do you feel?" asked Trowa, turning to adjust something that appeared to be an IV drip.

Ignoring the question, Heero tried to push himself up on the bed. "Is Duo… alright?" he ground out, wincing against the pain.

Trowa gently pushed the Wing pilot back down, "Look for yourself," he said simply, nodding to Heero's right.

Letting his head fall to the side, he saw Duo lying next to him on the other side of their bed. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and more from his neck down. His right arm was in a sling over his chest. His breathing was very heavy, but he didn't appear to be in too much pain.

"Duo…" Heero whispered again, reaching out to put his hand on his violet-eyed lover's cheek. The other did not stir at the gentle touch.

"It's been a day and a half since we rescued you," said Trowa, not really sounding as if he was paying attention. The Heavyarms pilot walked around the foot of the bed to check on Duo. He checked the IV that led to Duo's arm and then took his pulse.

Heero couldn't look away from Duo's pale face. He wanted nothing more than to see those beautiful violet eyes open and stare back at him.

Another day passed as Heero drifted in and out of consciousness. He hardly moved, keeping his hand wrapped in Duo's still-dirty braid.

Not long after night had fallen, just as Heero was regaining consciousness after yet another few hours of fitful, restless sleep; Duo's dulled eyes slid open.

Those violet orbs stared up blankly, not really seeing for many moments. His mind was blank, still somewhat lost to unconsciousness. He didn't even register that he had been rescued, that he was no longer in OZ's evil clutches.

"Duo…?" Heero asked a moment later, seeing that his lover had finally awakened. He couldn't hide the soft smile that graced his lips.

Duo blinked, turning his head to gaze at his lover. "Heero…" and the memories flooded back into his mind.

"Heero…! Where—? Did you rescue me? Wha…?" Duo asked in a rush, adrenaline briefly letting him be oblivious to his current state.

Heero suppressed a laugh, knowing his body would protest against it. He simply grinned at Duo, eyes expressing love and relief. "Yeah. We're both in bad shape right now, though… but we're safe."

"Thank god…" Duo sighed, weakness and pain catching up to him again.

"…Did you… blow that base…?" Duo asked a few moments later.

Heero let his hand go to Duo's, grasping it gently, "_You_ did… if putting the detonator in your hand still counts…"

They both smiled. "Thanks Heero… cuz I really wanted to blow… that place to hell."

Heero nodded, gently squeezing the other's hand. "I'm just glad we both made it out of there alive…"

"Heh," Duo chuckled painfully, still himself even after everything that had happened and how his body felt, "You must've been so worried…"

"Yeah… I was… Please be more careful next time, okay Duo?" Heero asked, voice having returned to a serious tone.

"I will… love you lots, Heero," smiled Duo, managing to lift the mood again.

"I love you too, Duo. Now get some rest… we're Gundam pilots, we can't afford to be down for long…" ordered Heero, still keeping his tone lighthearted.

"Yes, _mom_…" joked Duo, closing his eyes. Heero did the same, still smiling at his lover.

Owari.

* * *

**the end! so what did you think? please review... if you feel so inclined XD oh, and thanks so much for all those story alerts, guys! i never get those on my fics... XD **

**well, i'm off. but i will be back... eventually... *slinks away into the darkness of her cave***


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